Searchlight



1,632,131 J 14, 1927. T. HALL SEARCHLIGHT Filed Aug. 23, 1919 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 7/15000/75 HALL June 14, 1927. T. HALL 1,632,131

SEARCHLIGHT Filed Aug. 23, 1919 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 1NVENTOR Ewan/FE HAL L ATTORNEY June 14, 1927.

T. HALL SEARCHLIGHT Filed Aug. 25, 1919 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOQ I23 HA'UDU/FE HALL BY fliwmn 4 m ntal June 14, 1927.

UNITED- srnrss PATENT orrlcis.

THEODORE HALL, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE SPERRY GYROSCOPE COMPANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

i snnncnnreia'r.

Application filed August 23, 1919. Serial No. 319,382.

This invention relates to searchlights, and more particularly t6 portable searchlights.

The object of the invention is to produce a Searchlight of sufiiciently light weight to to be subjected under military service con-.

ditions.

Another object is to produce a searchlight of this character without sacrificing any of the sensitive automatic focusing and other control devices of a high standard searchlight.

Referring to the drawings wherein ll have shown what I now consider to be the preferred form of my invention:

Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevation of a Searchlight drum with the lamp mechanism therein. a

Fig. 2 is a sectional front elevation thereof taken on. line 22 of Fig. 1 with the lamp.

mechanism. removed.

Fig. 3' is an enlarged view of the lamp mechanism "shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation ofthe lamp mechanism taken approximately on line H of Fig. 1.

' Fig. 5 is a detail of the positive electrode feeding and rotating mechanism taken on line 5-=5 of-Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a detail of means for carrying the feed and rotation rollers. V

7 is a top view of the negative electrode holder. V

Fig. 8 is-a detail showing one of the negatlve electrode clamping jaws and brushes.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the controlling mechanism coiutained in the'control box at the topof the drum.

Fig. 10 is aside elevation of apart of said mechanism.

Fig. 11 is a top view of the positive elec trode holder. I

Fig. 12 is a detail taken on line 12-12 of Fig. 9.

Figs. 13, 1 1. and 15 are details of a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 9 for controlling the rate of feed of the positive electrode. Fig. 16 is a section taken on line 1G-16 of Fig. 3. i a

In the drawings the drum is shown at 1 having a parabolic mirror 2 held in one end thereof by a backing 3 secured to the drum by means of clamps 4, The Searchlight is represented as supported on horizontal trun nions T and T. In order that the entire Searchlight shall be extremely light in weight the drum is preferably made of thin sheet metal reinforced at the ends by angle irons 5. In order to stilfen the drum structure against sagging between said trunnions T and T bracing .strips 67 are shown secured across the interior thereof as at 6, 6", 7,.and 7", a nut 8 being provided for the purpose of tightening up on the said braces. These braces, moreover, are shown as linked together by means of cross members 9-10. Fastened'to the said cross members are shown guide strips 11-12 over which is slidably mounted a plate 13 having grooves 14 engaging said guide strips (see also Figs. 3 and 4). Positive and negative electrode holders 15 and 16 are carried by the said plate 13 and may be moved as a unit toward or away from the mirror 2 for focusing the light by moving plate 13 along so F by a pinion 18 on a shaft .19 bearing in a fixed member 20. Secured to said shaft 19 by means of a universal joint 21 is shown an extensible rod 22 reaching without the drum and provided with a knob 23'for turning the same; the object of having the rod extensible being .to permit slight relative movements of the drum and member 10 which carries the inner end of said rod without straining'any of the parts or connections. It will be seen thatby turning the knob 23 the electrode holders will be moved back and forth as a unit. This construction also furnishes a ready means for removing the holders from the drum. For this purpose all of the control rods 22, 60, 104, and 97 (hereinafter described) are detachably contween tnembers 64 which are in turn secured nected to the holders through bayonet 'oints to plate 13 and insulated therefrom by means 4 J. The positive electrode holder 15 is s own of insulation 65. The negative feed line 66 as provided with heat radiatingfins 24 and is shown as connected to a solenoid 67, the a third electrode 25 for maintaining the opposite end of which is connected to the source of light within the'en'd 26 of the posibar 64 at 68. The core 69 of; said solenoid tive electrode 27 at the proper distance from is shown as having connected thereto a crossthe mirror in the same manner as disclosed bar 70 wh1ch bar is 1n turn connected. by rod in my copending application Serial No. 272,- 71 to the 'slidableinember 63. Spring 73 is 328 for flaming are flood lights, filed Janshown carried 'by said rod between shoulder uary21, 1919. The positive head 28 may be 76 and a relatively stationary member 75 so secured to plate 13 as at 29 and the current as to normally hold the electrode holder 16 carried to the positive electrode by means in a closed position in which the negative of brushes 30 engaged by bars 31 and ressed electrode 77 engages the tip of the positive by spring 32 into firnr contact with t e said electrode, as indicated by dotted lines 78. electrode. Resilient jumpers 33 are secured Thus when the'current is'turned on it will to plate 13- and to the said brushes to insure flow freely from one electrode tothe other.

a good electrical contact between said plate A; the same time energization of the soleand brushes. For the purpose of rotating noi-d 67 will attract the core'69 and draw the and feeding the positive electrode I have are by moving the holder 163nto the full line shown a pair of rollers 3435 (Figs 4 position as shown. In order to obtain a firm and 11) engaging said electrode at opposite. electrical contact between the holder 16 and sides. Said rollers aremounted upon shafts the -electrode 177 I have shown a .pair of 36-37 having their bearings in members brushes -7980 pressed into contact with 3839 having slots '40 within which are electrode 77. by means of levers 81--82 PIV- carried worm wheels ,41-.42 secured upon oted at 83 and pressed apart at.their'outer said shafts 36- -37. Said members 3839 ends 84 by means of a spring 85. For the are shown as loosely mounted. at 4344 on feeding of the negative electrode :Imay ema shaft 45 which shaft has its bearings in ploy a pair'of rollers 86-87 mounted on a bifurcated frame 46 secured to plate 13. shafts 88,89 in levers 90 91 pivoted to the Fixed on said shaft 45 are a pair of worms holder at 92 and pressed together at their 47-48 meshing with worm wheels 4142. outer ends by means of a spring 93 to hold A pair of cross-bars 4950 integral with said rollers resiliently in contact with the members 3839 are shown as ressed toward negative electrode. Said shafts 88 -89 may each otherby springs 5152 5): the purpose be provided with intermeshing gears 9495, of pressing rollers 3435 resiliently mto one or the other of the said shafts being contact with the-electrode 27, The rotation connected by means of a universal joint 96 of shaft 45 will through worms 4748 and to an extensible rod 97 reaching intothe worm wheels 41-42 cause the rollers 34-35 control box 61. R'otation of rod 97 will thus to rotate and thus in turn impart'a rotary obviously impart an axial. movement to elecmotion to the positiveelectrode. In order trode 77 in one direction or the-other. For to impart an axial movement to the said the purpose of securing good electrical com electrode I may provide means for shifting munication between members 63 -64 1 may the plane of rotation of said rollers and thus employ a resilient jumper 98 secured to said convert the rotary motion of the electrode members, the same being'sufliciently long to into a screw motion in either a forward or a permit the relative' axial movement of said backward direction so that the electrode'tip members in striking the arc. Withoutthe may -be advanced or retracted .as may be top of the drum 1 is shown the control box necessary. For this purpose members 38 61 (see also Figs. 9'and'10). .The motor 99- and 39 may be provided with bifurcated is mounted in the said box. Upon the shaft lever arms 5354. Between the prongs 55 100 of said motor is shown a worm 101 of said levers 5354 are shown cams 5657 meshing with a worm wheel 102 on a shaft mounted upon a common shaft 58 which 103 reaching down into the'drum and conshaft is secured by means of a universal nected to an extensible rod 104 by means of joint 59 to an extensible rod 60 reaching up a universal joint 105. Said rod is in turn mto the control box 61. Said cams 56-57 connected by means of a universal joint 106 may be oppositely positioned with respect to the shaft 45. The object in making rod to each other upon shaft 58 so that the rota- 104 and also rods 60 and 97 extensible is to tion of said shaft will move levers 5354 in. permit plate or carriage 13 to slide freely opposite directions, as indicated in Fig. 5, back and forth on its'guides 11 and 12. The so as to tilt rollers 34-35 in opposite direc- 'motor is adapted to run constantly during tions. the operation of the lamp so that shaft 45 The negative electrodeholder16 is shown as with worms 47-48 will also operate consecured to 21 member 63 slidably mounted upstantly and thus impart a constant rotary on the outer end of a member 64? secured bemotion to the positive electrode 27. Secured wearer to shaft 103' in the control box is shown a cam.108 positioned'between the projections 109-110 of a bifurcated member .111. Said member 111 is secured by means of screws 112v to a rod 113 bearing at one end in a guide member 114 so that the constant rotation of shaft 103 will impart a constant rcciprocatory motion to member 111 in the di-. rections indicatedby the double arrow 115. Pivotally secured to member 11.1 at 116 and 117 may i be provided a pair .of pawls 118- 119 adapted to engage corresponding ratchets 120121 on a shaft'122 which is said shaft.

athreaded hole 133 in ratchet 121.

connected by means ofa universal joint 123 to the extensible rod.60. A pair of links 124125 secured to the pawls 118-119 may in turn be secured at their opposite ends to the armature 126 of a magnet 127. Said armature 126 may be held normally in the open position by means of a spring 128. The magnet 127 may be controlled through the third electrode 25 as set forth in my aforesaid copending application so that as the positive electrode is consumed the said magnet will become sufficiently energized to attract armature 126 and pull the pawl 118 into engagement with ratchet while if the positive electrode is fed-forward too far the spring 128 will move the armature 126 into its open position causing pawl 119 to engage ratchet 121. Said ratchets 120-121 are loosely mounted on shaft 122 adjacent a member 129 which is securely mounted on Member 129 may be provided with a slot 130 through which projects a screw 131 passing also through a slot 132 (see also Figs. 13, 14, 15) in ratchet 120 11;;20

y tightening screw 131 it will thus be seen that ratchets 120-121 may be secured to shaft 122 so that the rotation of either ratchet will effect the rotation of said shaft. During the reciprocatory motion of member 111 the pawls 11.8-119 are moved back and forth. adjacent ratchets 120-121., If the tip 26 of the positive electrode is in the proper position both of said pawls will move without engaging their respective ratchets. The adjustment for this purpose is effected by varying the tension of spring 128 through nuts 134. But when the said tip 26 is out of its proper position one or the other of said pawls will engage its ratchet as heretofore pointed out and rotate shaft 122, rod 60, and shaft 58 which carries the eccentrics 5657 so that the plane of rotation of the rollers 3435 will be shifted as pointed out to move said electrode axially in the proper direction. The rate of said axial movement will obviously depend upon the angle through which the plane of rotation of said rollers is changed. Thus if the tip 26 of electrode 27 burns back too far the pawl 118 will engage ratchet 120 during each of its reciprocatory movements in the forward direction until it has turned said ratchet to the point where the pawl 119 will engage the smooth circuu'iference 135. No further rotation of ratchet 120 will then take place even though the pawl 118 continues to engage the same since said pawl will simply slide over the smooth-edge 135. 'ihe rate of feed of the electrode will thus continue constant at its maximum speed until shaft 122 is turned in the opposite direction. A similar smooth surface 135' may be provided on ratchet 1 21 to fix the maximum speed at which the electrode may be fed in the opposite direction. In order to adjust the maximum feed in either direction 1 may adjust the positions of ratchets 120-121 with respect to each other and with respect to member 129 socurmg the same by means of screw 131 as previously pointed out. Secured adjacent one end of rod 113 I have shown a Jifurcated member 136 having its projections 137-138 engaging opposite sides of a washor 139 on a shaft 140 between a pair of oppositely pitched ratchet wheels 141-142. A pair of pawls 143 144 are pivotally secured to member 136 at 145-146, each of said pawls being adapted to engage one of said ratchet wheels 141142. By means of the reciprocatory motion of rod 113 the said pawls are thus moved back and forth adjacent the said ratchets. Said pawls are preferably linked together by means of a link 147 and are individually pressed toward their respective ratchets by means of springs 149150. Said springs press at one end against a nut 151 on the rod 152 secured to the said pawls at 153 and at the other end against a projection 154 on a member 155 mounted on the reciprocatory member 136 by means of screws 156 passing through slots 157 in member 155 and into said reciproca tory member. Members 155-155 may be provided with projections 158. A cross-bar 159 may be provided with downward projections 160 adjacent said projections 158. Said cross-bar 159 is in turn mounted on an arm 161 secured by means of a metallic hinge 162 to a post 162 fixed to the control box. A link 163 is shown connecting said arm to the armature 164 of an eleotro-magnet 165. Said eleetro-magnet may be placedin series with the arc circuit as set forth in my aforesaid copending application so that when the arc becomes too long the armature 164 will be attracted thus pulling cross-bar 159 to .one side so that one of projections 158 will,

during its reciprocatory movement, engage the corresponding downward projection 160 so as to exert a pull upon the corresponding pawl 144 to place the same into engagement with its ratchet 142. The reciprocatory movement of said pawl will then rotate ratchet 142 in one direction so as to rotate shaft 140, extensible rod 97, and the negative feed rollers 8687 to feed the negatwe electrode 77 toward the positive electrode 27. A spring 166 secured at one end to crossbar 159 bymeans of a hook 167 and at the other end to a bracket 168 carried by the control box'may be provided to pull crossbar 159 in the opposite direction against the action of ma net 165 so that when the arc becomes too s ort by reason of thenegative electrode having been fed too far forward or by reason of the positive electrode having been fed toward the negative, said bar 159 will be moved into such position that the opposite projection 158 will engage corresponding downward projection 160 so as to pull pawl 143 into engagement with ratchet 141 to rotate shaft 140 in the opposite direction and thus retract the negative electrode.

In order to adjust the length of the arc. the tension of spring 166 may be varied by adjusting the position of nuts 169 so that the bar 159 may be balanced when the varc is of the desired length. By the novel construction of pawl actuating mechanism herein described, the electro-magnet is relieved of the work of moving the pawls so that the sensitiveness of control remains unimpaired.

For the purpose of ventilating the searchlight drum I have shown a fan 170 at the top of said drum actuated by motor 99 to exhaust the air from the drum, an opening 171 being provided at the bottom of the drum to permit the entrance of fresh air. A bafile 172 may be provided over the said opening to direct the incoming air toward the sides of the drum.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have herein described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment'thereof, but Ldesire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that the invention can 'be carried out by other means. Also, while it is designed to use the various features-and elements in the combination and relations described, some of these may be altered and others omitted without interfering with the more general results outlined, and the invention extends to such use.

Having described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a searchlight, a drum, means connected across the interior of said drum for bracing the same, a pair of electrode holders carried by said bracing means, means for moving said holders relatively, and means extending without the drum for shifting said holders together to vary the dispersion of the beam.

2. In a Searchlight, a drum, means extending across the inside of said drum for bracing the same, a plurality of movable elec- .trode holders supported by said bracing means, means on each holder for feeding an electrode therethrough, a motor without said drum, and detachable means connecting said motor with said feeding means for actuating the same. y

3. In a searchlight, a drum,,a; plurality of transversely extending rods within the same, a member concentric with said drum slidably supported by said rods for movement along the axis of said drum, a pair of electrode holders carried by said member, and means for adjusting the position of said member.

4. A searchlight comprising a drum, electrode-feeding and ventilating means located adjacent the top thereof, a motor for operating the same, brace rods extending downwardly across the interior of the drum, and an electrode holder supported by said rods.

5. In a searchlight, a fixed support adjacent the center of the drum, a holder for the electrodes removably mounted thereon, a feed roller on the holder, actuating means therefor located without the drum, and a detachable shaft connecting said roller and said actuating means.

6. In a Searchlight, a drum of sheet ma 4' of said drum for bracing the same, and a pair of electrode holders carried by said bracing means.

8. In a Searchlight, a drum, means secured to and connected across the interior of said drum for bracing the same. and a pair of electrode holders and electrode feeding means supported by said first named means.

9. A Searchlight comprising'alight-weight drum, brace rods within said drum for strengthening the same, and an electrodesupporting carriage slidably mounted upon said rods.

10. A Searchlight comprising a lightweight drum, brace rods within said drum for strengthening the same, an electrodesupporting carriage slidably mounted upon said rods, means without the drum for actuating said carriage, and an extensible connection between said carriage and said means.

11-. A Searchlight comprising a drum, a removable electrode-supportingmeans, and means fixed to said drum for supporting said electrode-supporting means spaced from carriage upon which the electrodes are adapted to be mounted, means for supporting said carriage spaced from the walls of said drum, and means whereby said carriage is controlled from said control box.

13. A Searchlight comprising a drum, a control box fixed to the top of said drum, a carriage upon which the electrodes are connections whereby said carriage is controlled from said control box.

In testimony whereof I have a-flixed my signature.

THEODORE HALL. 

